Xavier Prep is 9-1 against Palm Desert since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Xavier Prep Saints will be playing at home against the Palm Desert Aztecs at 6:30 p.m. Xavier Prep has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Xavier Prep put the finishing touches on their 13th blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They really took it to La Quinta for the full four quarters, racking up a 65-22 victory on the road. With Xavier Prep ahead 36-11 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Xavier Prep's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Amoree Ferrel, who scored 19 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Tiffany Chang, who went 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points and 2 assists.
Meanwhile, Palm Desert unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Thursday. They were outmatched by Shadow Hills at home and fell 68-29. While losing is never fun, Palm Desert can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 580th, while Shadow Hills is ranked 83rd).
Despite the loss, Palm Desert saw an underclassman step up: Katelyn Gallagher scored 13 points along with eight steals and six rebounds. That was a full 44.8% of Palm Desert's points, marking the 13th time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Ava Tethal was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Xavier Prep has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games, which somehow isn't as good as their 18-5 record this season. As for Palm Desert, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-6.
Thursday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Xavier Prep have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Palm Desert, though, as they've been averaging only 26.2 rebounds per game. Given Xavier Prep's sizeable advantage in that area, Palm Desert will need to find a way to close that gap.
Xavier Prep strolled past Palm Desert when the teams last played back in December of 2023 by a score of 47-28. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Gallagher, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Xavier Prep still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
